Love Letters
by The Muses of Mars
Summary: The skaters get together for a reunion at a ski lodge in Switzerland. Yuri is excited to get to spend some time alone with Otabek, but havoc ensues when JJ finds a love letter addressed to Yuri from Otabek.


"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Switzerland. In just a few minutes we'll be landing at Zurich Airport. We ask that you return to your seats and restore your tray tables to their upright positions. Please turn off your electronic devices now and secure any loose belongings. Thank you."

Yuri Plisetsky slowly opened his eyes and blinked a few times to clear his vision. He hadn't really been sleeping when the flight attendant had made her announcement, but he had dozed on and off during the six-hour flight from St. Petersburg to Zurich. Just now he had been listening to music on his phone, but when the instructions to turn off all electronic devices came across the speakers inside the cabin, he tugged his earbuds free and did as directed.

"For your safety and comfort, please remain seated with your seatbelt fastened until the captain turns off the 'fasten seatbelt' sign."

Yuri yawned and stretched as best as he could in the cramped row. It had been an early morning for him, and a boring flight with one brief but annoying stop to change planes in Amsterdam. He wouldn't even have to be doing this if not for those idiots he had competed against in the skating competition last month. They were supposed to be rivals, not friends; he didn't know why they all kept sending him friend requests and following him on social media. And he wasn't exactly certain whose moronic idea it had been to hold a post-podium reunion in lieu of a banquet, but now here he was in Switzerland, about to join the other figure skaters at a ski lodge for a weekend of "fun."

Normally, Yuri would have never agreed to this. In fact, when the first friend request had come through on his Facebook account—from Jean-Jacques Leroy, aka JJ, of Canada—his initial instinct had been to block the guy and report him for online harassment. But he noticed after a brief check that all the men who had competed together were apparently befriending one another. Publicly, at that. When Victor Nikiforov, a fellow skater from Russia, had sent him an invitation to join them at the ski lodge in Zurich to enjoy a get-together, he was determined to refuse. But then Victor had informed him that Otabek Altin was in. Otabek was a skater from Kazakhstan whom Yuri genuinely _had_ grown close to, and if Otabek was going to be there, then Yuri had known he had to be, too.

Thinking about Otabek now made Yuri feel warm. He didn't even hear the rest of the flight attendant's landing script as he smiled quietly to himself, watching the clouds outside of the window disappear as the ground rose up to meet them.

It was a smooth landing, and now that he'd arrived, Yuri began to feel the palpitations of excitement he'd been suppressing. He'd get to see Otabek again, and soon!

"Welcome to Zurich!" the attendant called as the plane rolled slowly toward their gate. "The local time is 10:23 AM and the temperature is two degrees Celsius. At this time you may use your cellular phones and other electronic devices. When the door opens, please collect your belongings before disembarking from the plane. Remember to use caution when opening the overhead compartments, as heavy articles may have shifted around during the flight."

Yuri had to wait until his seatmate moved out of the way before he could get into the bin overhead to collect his luggage. He was only staying in Switzerland for two nights, Friday and Saturday, so all he'd brought along was his backpack and one piece of rolling luggage.

He squeezed his way out into the aisle between other passengers and made his way toward the exit. It saved time not having to wait for his suitcase at baggage claim; instead he was able to walk right out of the airport and hail a taxi to take him to the lodge.

During the drive, Yuri turned on his phone and checked his Instagram feed. It looked like some of the others had already arrived at the resort and were posting photos. As reluctant as Yuri had been to join them, even he had to admit the slopes looked choice, the lodge was ideal, and the spa seemed like a tiny piece of winter paradise. He found himself growing more and more anxious to get there, himself. But then Yuri saw he had a text message.

"Uh-oh…" Yuri muttered to himself. The text was from Otabek, and read:

 _Sorry, flight delayed. See you tonight._

"Damn it!" Yuri cursed through gritted teeth. Now he was going to be stuck at the resort all day by himself with those assholes!

* * *

The Silver Slopes Ski Resort was a smaller, more peaceful location than some of the larger resorts in Zurich, which had thankfully soaked up most of the post-Christmas ski crowd. It seemed the figure skaters were to have the small ski lodge almost entirely to themselves.

Though it was considered small by most resort standards, the Silver Slopes lodge was still large to Yuri. The first floor contained a rugged salon that was just like a cozy den at home, except its sofas, recliners, and lounge seats could easily accommodate fifty people. There were two TVs, which were currently not in use, and since it was still early January the Christmas tree had yet to be taken down, lending a festive atmosphere to the warm environment. There was a restaurant that opened early and closed late, and attached to that was an open bar. To the left of the salon was the spa, and down a hall to the right was the equipment storeroom where guests could check out whatever they needed for skiing, snowboarding, and sledding. Upstairs were the guestrooms.

Victor and Yuuri Katsuki were sitting at the breakfast bar having brunch when Yuri arrived. They greeted him warmly and showed him how to find the front desk. Yuri apparently had some time to kill before Otabek would be arriving, so as soon as he was checked into his room he rented a snowboard, along with bindings and a pair of snowboard boots. He had his own goggles and plenty of layers of clothing to keep him warm, thanks to Otabek's generous Christmas gift. Some of the men he recognized from the skating competition last year were gathered in the lobby, but Yuri walked right past them and made his way out into the snow alone.

All in all, it wasn't a bad day. Yuri managed to avoid contact with nuisances like Jean-Jacques Leroy and his girlfriend, Isabella Yang. They'd had a run-in once before, and Yuri wasn't keen on repeating the scenario; he'd had enough insults flung at him from _that_ pair to last a lifetime.

He did manage to have fun by himself while snowboarding, at least. (Thankfully JJ was more into skiing.) There was a snack shack out by the slopes, so he didn't have to walk all the way back to the lodge for lunch. The standalone restaurant was a lot smaller than the one inside the main house, but it featured live entertainment so Yuri enjoyed a comedy show with his meal, then stuck around to listen to a concert performed by a local rock band. Once his food had settled he rejoined the lift line to be carried back up the mountainside for another run.

As the afternoon sunlight began to dim, Yuri started wondering just how soon Otabek might arrive. To keep it safe and dry, he had left his phone back at the lodge, but when he realized the sun would be setting soon, he decided to call it a day and head back.

There was still no sign of Otabek in the lounge. Yuri returned the snowboarding equipment he'd borrowed and decided to take a hot shower to chase off the chill and freshen up for Otabek. It wasn't as late in the day as he'd thought, but apparently the sun set a little early in Switzerland in the winter.

In his room, Yuri checked his phone again. He didn't have any more messages from Otabek, but someone had managed to capture a shot of him landing on his ass out on the slopes today and had publicly humiliated him on Twitter.

"Grr…! Assholes!" Yuri growled when he recognized the names of some of the people who had retweeted the embarrassing picture. At least it was a shot from behind; he could just deny it was him and sue them all for slander.

Yuri threw his phone down onto the bed with a little deflating sound and trudged into the bathroom for a shower. He took his time getting dressed again, but he was getting hungry. He thought Otabek probably would be, too, and decided to wait for him to have dinner. In the meantime he could chew on the little dried fruit snack he'd gotten on the plane this morning.

He still had an indeterminate amount of time to kill while waiting for his friend to arrive, so Yuri scooped up his backpack before heading back downstairs. Inside he tucked some things that would help pass the time, including his cell phone and a book called, "The Snow Leopard Emerges," which was a collection of anecdotes about Kazakhstan. He hoped he might impress Otabek with his reading choice…whenever he finally showed up.

When he reached the first floor, fortunately everyone else was in the bar area making a ruckus, so Yuri was able to claim a quiet seat on a lounge chair next to a roaring fireplace and avoid them all.

The blond messed around with his phone for a few minutes, just listening to the crackle in the hearth and watching the minutes tick by on the clock on the salon's stone wall. It was after six now, and his stomach was growling. He hoped Otabek was having a safe flight. He felt anxious and nervous for some reason. He wouldn't be able to settle down until he was looking at the other man's handsome face, but already knew that would make him anxious and nervous for entirely different reasons.

He tucked his phone into the front pouch of his backpack after ensuring the volume was maxed, in case Otabek texted him again. In the same pocket was a familiar, folded piece of paper, and with a softening expression Yuri reached for it, unfolding the well-worn page.

It was a letter, but not just any letter: it was a love letter, the first and only Yuri had ever received. The message began,

 _Dear Yuri…_

 _I know that to you it's only been a few weeks since we met, but I have yearned for you for years. So while the distance between us might seem great, I have learned that it is much easier to bear knowing you are thinking of me, as I have long thought of you._

As Yuri's green eyes drank in every line, they sparkled with happiness.

 _I hope the coat keeps you warm this winter, but if you feel lonely, just imagine my arms around you again…_

Yuri had read the letter so many times, he had it memorized. But each time he picked it up again, he shivered as he reminisced about being in a certain young man's embrace…

Of course, those memories were best relived alone. And right now JJ Leroy and his fiancée, Isabella, were heading his way.

JJ had one arm draped around Isabella's shoulders. In his other he carried an overflowing mug of Swiss beer—not his first tonight.

"Look, JJ!" Isabella whispered loudly as they made their way over to the fireplace. "It's that scary little boy again!"

Yuri growled, his fingers clutching his letter more tightly. When he realized he was wrinkling the already worn paper, he relaxed his hands.

It was a mistake. He'd already drawn attention to the page he was holding, and after shoving his drink into Isabella's hands, JJ reached out and snatched the letter from Yuri's lax grasp.

"What's this?" JJ wondered, lowering his other arm from his fiancée's shoulders so he could inspect the letter. His eyes skimmed over the paper while Yuri sat there, dumbstruck. "Oh, wow! So _that's_ why you were blushing!"

Yuri jumped to his feet, his hands balled into fists. "Give that back to me, you prick!"

"Where did you find it?" JJ asked, twisting to avoid Yuri's grasping hands so he could finish reading.

"It's mine, asshole!"

"Yeah, right," JJ snorted. "Hey, babe, listen to this," he said to Isabella. He started reading Yuri's letter out loud, his tone mocking. "'I have _yearned_ for you for _years!_ Just imagine my arms around you. And, I hope I might dare, the touch of my lips upon yours…'" JJ howled with laughter. "Aw, man, this is too much!"

Yuri's eyes were burning with furious tears. "How _dare_ you, jackass! That doesn't belong to you. Give it back!"

JJ continued to hold the letter out of Yuri's reach and cupped his free hand around his mouth to shout to the other skaters at the bar. "Hey, guys! Get a load of this! Yuri got a mushy love letter!"

The other men were too busy talking and drinking to really pay them any mind. But now JJ had to wonder—assuming, of course, that this really _was_ Yuri Plisetsky's love letter—who had written it?

"Say, who's this from, anyway?" he asked the boy.

"That's none of your business!" Yuri snapped. As JJ gripped the page by the bottom to look for the signature, Yuri made one final grab for it, jumping into the air to attempt to tear it free of the taller man's grip.

It worked, but at the same moment Yuri lost his own hold on the paper. He watched, horrified, as it fluttered into the fireplace.

Yuri wailed as the flames licked at the letter. Then a hand unexpected reached into the fire and rescued it.

The three of them—Yuri, JJ, and Isabella—watched with wide eyes as Otabek Altin brushed the smoldering edge of the paper to douse the flickering flame that had caught, then gave the page a little shake to knock the charred ash at its corner loose.

Yuri reached out gingerly and took the scorched paper from Otabek. He held it gently between his hands and inspected it for damage. Thanks to Otabek, only the corner of the paper had been burned off, and all of the writing on the page was intact.

Yuri's eyes glistened with tears of relief and gratitude. "Otabek! You…"

Otabek cocked his head at Yuri. He'd just arrived, so was still bundled up in his coat and scarf, and was carrying a duffel bag in one hand. "Yuri," he said, sounding surprised, "I thought you liked my letter."

"I do!" Yuri cried, then said again, more softly, "I _do_."

Otabek didn't understand. "Then why were you burning it? Yuri, didn't you get my text message? My flight was delayed. Are you upset with me? Is that why you burned the letter? Did you think I wouldn't come?" He set down his duffel bag and stepped closer, cupping the blond's face tenderly.

Yuri was so relieved that Otabek was here, and that he'd rescued the letter, that he forgot to be embarrassed. He threw his arm around Otabek's waist and leaned into him, burying his face in his coat. Otabek's arms wrapped around him in an instant, and Yuri looked up to say, "Thank you for saving my letter. It means a lot to me. Stupid dumbhead JJ threw it into the fireplace!"

"That's _your_ letter?" Watching them together, JJ's expression was one of shock.

"Why did you take Yuri's letter and try to burn it?" Otabek asked. He sounded more confused than angry, but he was beginning to feel a tinge of ire.

"I didn't do it on purpose! And I had no idea it was from _you_."

"Regardless," Otabek reasoned, "you shouldn't touch something that doesn't belong to you."

Yuri stuck his tongue out at JJ.

Isabella gave JJ a pouty scowl. "JJ, why don't _I_ ever get letters like that?"

"Aw, come on, babe—! You don't seriously want me to write flowery crap like that, do you?"

Otabek and Yuri, their arms around each other, left the two fighting and went over to the bar to get some spicy seasonal cider to sip by the fire. The other skaters greeted them warmly but Otabek's expression made it clear he was there for one reason alone, and that reason was Yuri.

They returned to the den, relieved that JJ and Isabella had taken their argument elsewhere, and Otabek hung up his coat while Yuri carefully returned Otabek's treasured letter to his backpack. Finally alone together, they sat side by side on a sofa next to the fire.

"Otabek, I'm glad you're here," Yuri said, gazing up at the other man with starry eyes. "I…missed you."

"I promise to write more letters, so you'll have plenty of others to keep you company whenever you miss me." Otabek rested his arm along the back of the couch, his fingers tenderly stroking the soft strands of Yuri's blond hair. "I'm sorry I was late. But," he added, leaning a little closer, "I'm here now, and we can talk all night if you want."

Yuri had to smile at the offer. Otabek was a man of few words. Yuri knew they'd likely just be basking in one another's company tonight, rather than saying much. But it was enough to have him near.


End file.
